Another retail business could be coming to Covington’s Ga. Highway 142 commercial corridor.

The Covington City Council voted unanimously Monday to approve the first reading of a request to rezone and annex into the city the .917-acre vacant lot behind McDonald’s on Ga. 142, which used to house a gas station.

Terry Sullivan, with The Trilogy Group, the Atlanta-based company hoping to develop the property, said his company has the property under contract and a letter of intent from a national retail chain to build on the property.

Sullivan said his company helped rezone and annex Walmart and has also developed several surrounding properties, including those that house Verizon, McDonald’s, Sprint and IHOP.

The property is being rezoned from county commercial neighborhood to city corridor mixed use zoning; the property is surrounded by city property. The property has been vacant for six years, according to the city of Covington planning department.

Currently, the parcel only has access through a cul-de-sac, but the city will grant direct access to Industrial Boulevard "through the common driveway of McDonald’s and our shopping center, making the property much more attractive for redevelopment," according to the planning commission’s report.

The property is valued at $440,800, according to the Newton County Tax Assessor’s website.